Designing Costumes for 'Frankenstein'

Podcast: All Of It with Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Episode Date: February 17, 2026
Guest: Kate Hawley (Oscar-nominated Costume Designer)

Overview

This episode of "All Of It" explores the artistry, inspiration, and collaborative process behind the costume design for Guillermo del Toro’s visually bold adaptation of Frankenstein. Host Alison Stewart sits down with Kate Hawley, whose work on the film has earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design. Hawley discusses the journey from conceptual sketches to finished costumes, the creative partnership with del Toro, and how costumes helped shape the film’s unique vision of Victorian England.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Creative Partnership with Guillermo del Toro

• Hawley and del Toro share a "common language" rooted in literature and art.
  • Hawley recalls their first meeting:

    "It was a shared love and language of books. I think he looked at my bookshelf and that was the deciding factor as to whether we could work together." (01:20–01:44)

• Collaboration lies at the heart of del Toro’s process, treating all design departments as one orchestra.

  • "[Guillermo] regards all of us as one department ... all really one department ... like parts of an orchestra that Guillermo is conducting." (03:28–04:41)

2. Building the Visual Language: From Inspiration to Execution

• Hawley starts each project by focusing on a single defining moment or scene, then expands outwards.

  • "Sometimes they're not big moments, sometimes it's just a small moment, but you have a clear moment of what the vision and language is." (02:44–03:24)

• Influence for the costumes came from various sources, including David Bowie, Victorian art, Tiffany & Co., and nature, specifically iridescent beetles.
• Hawley describes balancing historic silhouettes with heightened, poetic elements:

  • "He [Guillermo] wanted a very operatic feel ... the sort of melodrama, the dream of it, the melancholy and tone. All of those things are more poetic, kind of demands a more poetic language and a more heightened language." (06:01–06:42)

3. Process, Silhouette, and Function

• The initial creature reveal shaped the approach: bold silhouettes were prioritized, continually refined through quick sketches.

  • "I'll do lots and lots of quick sketches ... is it a beast or a, you know, a bear coming out of it? So ... we can kind of lock off a silhouette and then work the details from within." (08:30–09:27)

• Macro and micro details are essential, with tiny touches (like buttons or stitching) helping complete the world.

  • "We're dealing with the macro and the micro ... the detail in a glove, the little Medusa that Leopold Victor's father's wearing, the stitching ... that echo the spine of the creature." (18:56–19:40)

4. Designing Key Character Costumes

The Creature

• Debuts in a dramatic, oversized fur coat—designed for both silhouette and psychological impact.
  • The intention was to make the creature’s first appearance ambiguous and commanding, as seen from the sailors' perspective.

Elizabeth (Mia Goth)

• Costumes reflect her scientific curiosity and ethereal presence, with references to William Paley’s theology and iridescent beetles:

  • "He [Guillermo] asked me to make her quality feel very ephemeral and ethereal. So the colors became strong, and we used ... iridescent beetles for reference, the blues, the greens." (09:48–11:41)

  • Layers and transparency in her costumes evoke memory and constant metamorphosis, mirroring her character arc.

The Wedding Dress

• Designed as an homage to classic Frankenstein imagery, with deep anatomical references.

  • "We really approached it like the layers of an X-ray. So that dress has about five or six layers ... then the jeweled cross and two heraldic brooches which also echo the creature’s chains. We collaborated and created that with Tiffany’s." (14:48–17:04)

  • The dress is designed to visibly absorb blood in a pivotal scene, reinforcing narrative through fabric.

Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac)

• Oscar Isaac’s interpretation influenced how costumes were worn; sometimes disorder and imperfection were purposefully preserved.

  • "He was being Victor ... beautiful clothes, but wears them in a really irreverent way. Guillermo wanted him to strut around like a bit of a rock star." (17:22–18:37)

  • The team resisted tidying his costumes to preserve character authenticity.

5. Interplay with Actors and Their Performances

• The fitting process is collaborative and responsive to the actor’s movement and interpretation.

  • "Your job's to listen as much as to offer things and then shape through that ... a lot of it was a lot of based on feelings. And Mia has such an unusual, mercurial quality to her." (12:26–14:33)

• With Jacob Elordi as the creature, costume adjustments were shaped by his physicality and how he articulated the character’s body.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the creative process:

  "You can't be an island in this world, you know." (05:32)

• On collaboration and ego:

  "Ego stands at the door very firmly, and, you know, it's about getting to the best idea and the best thing for the production." (06:43)

• On subtle detail:

  "If you didn’t think about it, it would stand out like a sore thumb, I think." (19:54)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:09–01:57: Introduction; Hawley’s relationship with del Toro
• 02:22–03:24: Developing a costume design starting from a key moment
• 03:28–05:38: Collaboration with set and other design departments
• 06:01–06:58: Balancing historical accuracy and creative expression
• 08:08–09:27: Crafting the creature’s silhouette
• 09:27–12:03: Conveying Elizabeth’s uniqueness and symbolism
• 12:03–14:33: How actors influence costume design in the fitting room
• 14:48–17:04: The making of Elizabeth’s layered, symbolic wedding dress
• 17:09–18:37: Victor Frankenstein’s rumpled style and actor/costume synergy
• 18:56–20:10: Micro details: buttons, gloves, textile effects, and completeness

Conclusion

Kate Hawley’s work on Frankenstein is a testament to the power of nuanced costume design in world-building and storytelling. Through deep collaboration, detailed artistry, and a dynamic, responsive process with director, actors, and other designers, Hawley’s costumes become crucial components of the film’s emotional and visual language. As she celebrates her first Oscar nomination, this episode offers listeners a rare behind-the-scenes look at the craft beneath the spectacle.